Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Burstblade
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"Edel."
Darcor's voice rumbled low.
"Is this it?"
Edel couldn't lift her head.
Her face burned red with shame.
"I apologize, Your Majesty. Minister of Finance Alah has been siphoning off the budget for years, so resupplies have been cut off long ago."
Shring.
Instead of a sharp blade's ring, a dull thud echoed through the knight order's armory.
The sword Darcor had drawn was pathetic.
The blade was chipped like a saw's teeth, and the leather grip was frayed to rags.
"..."
Darcor tossed the sword to the floor without a word.
Next came the armor.
A light flick of his finger sent dust cascading down from the pile.
The Ashes Knights who had ambushed him wore gleaming gear, courtesy of the Empress Dowager's support.
Yet the Imperial Knights tasked with protecting the emperor looked like beggars.
"You expect us to hold off Daroa Empire's cavalry with this scrap metal?"
Darcor laughed hollowly.
Daroa Empire.
Thanks to their vast reserves of the continent's finest iron ore,
their soldiers were clad head to toe in top-grade steel, their horses even draped in iron plate.
No way these rusted blades could scratch their armor.
'Thirty days until war.'
Not enough time to replace weapons through normal channels.
Only one option left.
"Time to change tactics."
Darcor's eyes gleamed.
"Edel, summon the Tower Master."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Cough, cough."
Veronica pinched her nose with her sleeve, scowling.
"Your Majesty, why drag me to a stinking hole like this?"
She shook out her sleeve in irritation.
The imperial forge.
Filled with acrid smoke and blistering heat, it was no place for the noble Tower Master.
Darcor indifferently pointed to the workbench.
"Make these scrap heaps usable."
Rusted swords and armor scraped from the armory towered like a mountain.
"Huh?"
"Mass-producible. At least enough to pierce Daroa scum's armor."
Veronica let out an incredulous scoff.
"Hah? You're joking, right? Your Majesty, I'm the Tower Master. You want me swinging a hammer like some blacksmith?"
She crossed her arms and turned away in disbelief.
"No way. Not even if I die. My magic isn't for this."
"Knew you'd say that."
Darcor nodded as if expecting it and stepped closer.
One step, another.
"If you succeed..."
His lips brushed near her ear.
Then he whispered softly.
"One cup of blood."
Veronica's pupils trembled violently.
The emperor's blood.
She'd clung to him last night too,
but got chased off without a drop.
Pure blood from an emperor immune to magic.
Veronica swallowed dryly.
But biting now would wound her pride as Tower Master.
Sell her dignity for a single cup?
Her voice quivered as she whispered,
"T-Two cups."
"Deal."
Darcor smirked and nodded.
In that instant,
Veronica's eyes flipped.
The disgust vanished, replaced by the manic fervor from her tower.
"Hey, you idiots standing around."
She jabbed a finger at the blacksmiths and yelled.
"Hammers, now! The finest mithril ones! Right this second!"
Snatching a hammer from a stunned blacksmith, she rolled up her sleeves and bellowed,
"Out! All of you! You're in my way!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The now-empty forge held only Darcor, Edel,
and Tower Master Veronica.
"Heh heh heh... Yes, maxing mana conductivity calls for this."
Her refining method defied all common sense.
Sizzle.
Pouring mysterious purple powder into the furnace turned the flames bluish, belching eerie smoke.
Boom!
"Perfect, cooking evenly."
She hammered incantations into the glowing blade relentlessly.
Clang, clang, claaang!
Amid the hammer strikes,
Screeech.
sometimes what sounded like living screams pierced the air.
"Y-Your Majesty, is this... okay?"
Edel asked, face pale.
"Screams from the sword? She's not possessing it with evil spirits, is she?"
"To boost mana conductivity, you grind souls into blades. Quiet, it's annoying!"
Hyper-sensitive Veronica snapped irritably.
Kaboom!
Another mini-explosion rocked the workbench, birthing a gray mushroom cloud.
Ding.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [System: Analyzing.] [Variant Magitech Weapon.] [Creator: Tower Master, Veronica.] [Status: Intricate mana enchantment in progress.] [Success Probability 50% / Explosion Probability 50%] Darcor, arms crossed and watching with interest,
saw the system window pop up.
'Explosion probability? What explodes?'
Soon, Veronica emerged from the smoke, slicking back sweat-matted hair.
A single sword gleamed in her hand.
Hummm.
The blade looked ominous.
Glowing red-hot across its length,
it vibrated like a living thing.
"Complete at last."
Veronica proudly raised it high.
"Behold the Burstblade. Slick, right?"
"Ooh..."
Edel's jaw dropped.
The rusted, chipped scrap had transformed into a pulsing red magic sword.
"Power's guaranteed. It'll slice anything. Daroa steel armor? Pfft, no biggie."
"Incredible. As expected of the Tower Master."
Edel's eyes sparkled, her earlier grumbles forgotten.
Yet Veronica, who should revel in praise, scratched her head awkwardly.
"But... tiny flaw."
"What flaw?"
Darcor tilted his head.
"Durability's unique. Exactly ten uses..."
"Ten uses?"
"Yeah. Overheats and blows after ten swings."
"Blows?"
Silence fell.
Regaining composure, Edel asked in disbelief,
"Blows up? What happens then?"
"Well... lucky, you lose an arm. Unlucky..."
Veronica averted her eyes.
"Think explosion scroll fused with a sword."
Edel's face drained of color.
"Crazy! That's not a weapon, it's a suicide tool!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Your Majesty? You want me to test this?"
Edel gripped the trembling Burstblade with shaking hands.
The imperial training grounds.
The sword thrummed like a live beast in her grasp.
"It blows up, you said..."
"Ahem. Gotta test it. Who else but Lady Edel here at the palace?"
Darcor stared at her pouty face with mock seriousness.
Desperate acting to stifle his laughter.
"No big deal. Swing nine times, toss it. Count carefully."
Edel glared at the steel golem ahead, heart aching.
'Nine times. Exactly nine.'
She swung with a kiai.
"Hah!"
Clang, claaang!
Steel clashed, ringing across the grounds.
Finally, the ninth.
Instinctively, Edel channeled aura into the downward strike.
Shwick.
A chilling sound reverberated.
The steel golem, famed for durability, split in two.
Unreal power.
Even aura-laced strikes barely fazed it after dozens.
"S-Saw that, Your Majesty? Insane power!"
As excited Edel shouted,
Veronica snapped her fingers.
Snap.
"Oh, forgot something."
"Forgot?"
"Aura cuts durability by two."
"What?"
Edel's gaze drifted to her hand.
The blade spat crimson light, flashing wildly.
Beep, beep!
Danger signal.
"W-Warn me first! Damn it!"
Edel screamed and hurled the sword skyward.
The instant it left her hand.
Kaboom!
A massive blast swallowed the grounds in dust.
"Your Majesty, we can't give soldiers something this dangerous!"
Edel, rolling from the shockwave, panted as she looked up.
"No. Perfect."
"Pardon?"
As Edel gazed pleadingly at Darcor,
his eyes shone through the dust, brimming with satisfaction.
"Imagine it exploding in the enemy ranks' heart."
He pointed to the crater.
"Swing a few times to kill surely, then toss for an explosion scroll finisher. Best of both worlds."
Veronica nodded, clapping.
"Exactly, Your Majesty. You get the Burstblade's true value."
"Right? Great job, Veronica. Top-notch."
Edel stared at them blankly, alternating.
"These lunatics..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Tech's solved. Just mass-produce now."
Darcor propped his chin at his desk.
The issue: money.
The purple powder Veronica dumped?
'Damn, wyvern bone dust?'
Outfitting the army would cost a fortune.
As Darcor pondered,
Veronica grinned, waving a syringe.
"Two cups as promised. Roll up your sleeve, Your Majesty."
She buzzed with anticipation.
"Anything you need, just say. Fund my research fat, and I'll grind my whole tower into these."
Darcor watched his blood draw, feeling the sting.
'Need money like blood... literally.'
He racked his brain.
Treasury empty, taxing peasants too slow.
Quick cash influx method.
Then it hit.
A face flashed in his mind.
A guy with a nose for money,
pickpocketing genius.
Darcor snapped his fingers.
Snap.
"Right, that guy's perfect."
A wicked smile curled his lips.
'Wonder where our Saintess is now?'